Investigation underway after child vanishes from South Yorkshire school

Claire Lewis

An investigation has been launched after a child vanished from a South Yorkshire school and was found two miles away.

The youngster vanished from Mallard Primary School in Balby on Tuesday morning and was found two miles away at the interchange in Doncaster town centre.

The disappearance was reported to South Yorkshire Police at 11.40am and the child was found one hour later.

Theresa Siverns, head teacher at Mallard Primary School, said: “The school cannot comment on the details of individual cases. However we can confirm that a full investigation is being undertaken following the incident.

“We take the safety of all of our pupils very seriously and have strict policies in place aimed at preventing pupils from leaving the school on their own and detailing what to do if a pupil does leave the grounds.

“In this case as soon as it happened the alarm was raised and both the police and parents were informed and staff from the school conducted a search of the surrounding area.

“Children are regularly warned of the dangers of leaving the school site. This was a most unfortunate event and I'm sorry it happened.”